Listen to Me, Girls, I’m Your Father!

Before I begin the review proper, I must comment that this show seems to be compared to Usagi-drop a lot in the comments. I have not watched or read Usagi-drop and all I know about it is what I looked-up on Wikipedia. So in this review, I will not be comparing Listen To Me Girls I'M Your Father to Usagi-drop in any shape or form.

After watching Episode 1 of Listen To Me Girls I'M Your Father, I was on the fence about this show with a strong inclination to drop it. However, since I found myself still on the fence when Episode 2 was released, I decided to give it another look and ended-up adding it to my queue and also looking into the manga (just first six chapters).

The story in the nutshell is that Yuuta Segawa, who lost his own parents when he was a child, and was raised single-handedly by his elder sister Yuri, who was then just a high school student, finds himself in the position of having to render the same service to his sister's children. However, Yuuta's position is complicated in that Yuuta (19) moved out of the his parents house, which he had shared with his sister up until then, while still in high school because he objected to the man his sister was set to marry.

Yuuta's, understandable, objections stemmed from the fact that Yuri's first ever marriage was going to take place to a man who had already been married twice before and has two daughters, Sora and Miu, from his previous marriages. Sora's mother has passed away but Miu's foreigner mother is alive but apparently not in the picture. Yuri, however, goes ahead with her intended marriage and in due course, gives birth to a child of her own: Hina. It is implied that while Yuuta was in contact with Yuri, he's visits to their old house - now inhabited by Yuri, her husband their the three girls, was infrequent at best. Hina, for one, seems to have no memory of her uncle prior to the events depicted in the anime.

Yuuta's own life consists of going to college, holding down a part-time job to pay the rent on his six tatami flat and trying to attract the attention of his busty senpai Raika Oda, for whose sake he ends-up joining the Street Observation Research Society (SS). However, this existence is rocked with his sister asks him to watch the girls for a week while she accompanies her husband on a business trip. The girls also entreat him to watch them as Yuri and their father are yet to go on their honeymoon and so the girls really want them to go on this trip together.

What should have been just a short break from his usual routine takes the turn for the permanent when Yuri's plane disappears and Yuri's husband's family decide to separate the girls between them. Legally, Yuuta only has a say in Hina's future but Yuuta makes an offer to all the girls to come to his place. Saying that while he is poor and their life would be very difficult, they could all be together. His offer, as much a result of his past, when his sister opted to raise him herself then be separated from him, as it is for the sake of the girls.

This is pretty much the setting for both the heart felt drama and the ecchiness. The manga, which begins very differently from the anime, is VERY graphic with its ecchiness. Indeed in the anime Yuuta walks in on Sora in her underwear while they are still in the big family house with two bathrooms, so you can imagine how much "accidentally walks in on the girls in the bathroom" or related scenarios are going to happen when the four of them move to his six tatami apartment. Add to this mix the fact that Sora (14) and Miu (10) are not related by blood to Yuuta and while Miu and Yuuta have a perfectly normal brother-sister type relationship, Sora already nurses a one-sided crush on Yuuta. Then there is Yuuta's own crush Raika, who you can just tell by looking is another character who is going to be used for ecchi fan-service.

If you are into ecchi, and given that the anime does not seem to have a mature classification probably means that the anime will be a lot tamer then the manga, well there is no problem here. However, if you not into ecchi the question becomes if the stories "heart", which is the struggles of three girls whose dearest wish is to remain together and the man who brings hardship upon himself in order to give them an opportunity to stay together, is worth putting-up with the ecchi-ness. I for one get the feeling that it might be worth putting-up with the perverted fanservice but only future episodes will tell.

I will not simply state that the show was amazing to watch, or that it was bad either. To be honest, I rather enjoyed this anime as a light snack after some of the heavier ones I had been riding on the past few months. I put this show off for just as long though, just deciding to watch it recently. It was more than worth it; . Still, the show seems a little generic for an anime, and no matter how cute it may be, how far can you take certain things? I have found several instances where I couldn't watch this in front of other people simply because there was a little ecchi involved. Now sure, sometimes ecchi makes the anime, but what happens if it's... at their age?

I still like the show and recommend it, but the sometimes the moments get rid of the real purpose of the show, and that my friends is to be a drama, comedy, and love story all in it's own way.

I have watch the anime and I finished the whole series in 1 week . But , I was entertained during the series by how tragic is the fact that Yuuta's sister and brother-in-law leaved him with their children . Also , how hard his journey with raising his three nieces and how much love and care he shows to his younger family members . Yuuta gets two or three jobs to give support with his nieces ( really hard stuff ) . I ♥ the scenes with Ridka slapping the sick pervert's butt . The love and cares that Yuuta puts in for Miu , Sora and Hina . That is really touching to see than '' The Host ( 2013 ) '' .

This is an opinion review.
I was hooked the second I started this anime.
its a cute, happy, slice of life anime with its fair share of real world problems.
I was driven to tears multiple times throughout the course of this anime. due to the main protagonist supporting the three girls and the girls helping him more than he thought.
You won't find any blood, gore, mech, or as much hentia* as some other anime's.......but that's just how I like my anime , cute and sweet.
if your new to the anime scene and are looking for a cute anime......then I can highly recommend "listen to me, girls, I am your father".
All and all I gave this a 8.5 out of 10 little sisters.

I loved this anime very much, It's super touching and really warms up your spirits. It teaches you lessons about family, whether you're blood related or not, you can always have a family. And the relationship with the family is amazing. The art style is also very beautiful. The only few flaws is the fact that Sora had a crush on Yuuti. That was a little unnecessary. Most peple probably disagree, but I think it would have been better if she never had that kind of feeling for him, she is way too young and she's also his sister's daughter. If she had only looked at him as nothing more than a brother or a father, the anime would have been better. Other than that, though, it was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cute stories about family. I love Mira, she was absolutely adorable. I think she was the one that touched me the most, probably because of her positive attitude about everything and her cute charm. Very great job.

When i first hear of the series i had no idea what it was about and figured it be a harem/ecchi anime, but boy i was wrong, this anime was beautifully made. It has that sense of romance once and a while that just makes it so refreshing, but it can have its sad moments, i am not one to be able to cry at some things no matter how sad but this just blew me away and forced a few tears. A very recommended anime for just about anyone who enjoys a great story and some heart warming and tear jerking feels ^-^

Quick note, this anime is amazing like i said, a few people complained that it had a few ecchi moments or characters that were annoying, but its easy to overlook those, you'll know what i mean when you watch it :p

If your looking for mech, sci-fi, fuedal times, harem, fanservice, love triangle, fantasy, romance, etc you will not find it here, so why do I recommend it? This is a show that has a strong foothold in reality. There is a bit of romance, a hint of a love triangle, and a school companion that offers a touch of fanservice but the basic storyline is not about any of these things. It takes place in the real world and while the struggles these characters go through are extreme, I think most viewers can relate to certain elements of the show. If you want to take a break from your usual genre and watch a cute little show then give this one a try.

Source: http://thedarksideofequality.blogspot.sg/2013/02/anime-review-listen-to-me-girls-im-your.html

I think hardcore Anime/Manga lovers might find Listen to me girls. I'm your father! to be a tat bit too mainstream for their liking. After all, most episodes are filled with harem fan service (sorry girls), while characters such as the male lead, Yuuta Segawa, seem rather bland from constantly reiterating his exhaustion from having to find more money, time and living conditions for his three adopted nieces in monologues.

I've come to love this series and I think we shouldn't be too quick to judge it. In fact, I will argue that this series poses very important questions and explores very complex themes under the guise of mainstream anime.

Plot Summary

The story begins with Yuuta Segawa, a freshman in college, being excited about the start of a new phase of his life. It is revealed to the audience that Yuuta was brought up single handedly by his sister Yuri Segawa after their parents passed away. After a brief visit by Yuri, Yuuta found himself babysitting his three nieces, Sora Takanashi (age 14), Miu Takanashi (age 10) and Hina Takanashi (age 3) at their home while Yuri and her husband goes on a trip.

(Yuri and Yuuta Segawa)

After spending time getting to know his nieces, they received a phone call telling them that Yuri and her husband have gone missing after a plane crash. Expecting the worst, a funeral was held for Yuri and her husband. After the funeral, Takanashi relatives tried to separate the three sisters into different homes so as to lessen the burden on the foster families. Yuuta, having witnessed the scene, was struck by the memory of having a similar predicament when his parents passed away. He then stood up to claim guardianship of the three nieces just as his sister had insisted that they remain together after the death of his parents. When this suggestion was met with objection from the Takanashi family, Yuuta and his three nieces left in the middle of the night to return to his college dorm. Since then, they lived together leading Yuuta to claim unofficial guardianship over them. The rest of the story revolves around the day-to-day difficulties that Yuuta and his nieces face, as well as the support that they received from neighbors and Yuuta's friends from his college's Sightseeing circle.

(Yuuta and his nieces crammed up in his college dorm)

Updating the Coming of Age genre

This series is reminiscent of a movie I watched some time ago entitled, 14 no Haha (14 year old mother), where a young couple deals with an unplanned pregnancy after a brief sexual encounter. The movie ends (Spoiler alert) with the male lead saying that he will work to support the girl, and they would continue with their education and enter college. The female lead then tells her parents that they are still doing everything that other people would, except that the sequence of it is different. Like 14 no haha, I feel that Listen to me girls. I am your father! updates the coming of age genre by pushing the audience into ambiguous areas through complex issues, while maintaining a familiar coming of age script. Thus, I felt that the seemingly mainstream-ness of the series is deliberate, while the questions the series explores is relatively novel. The struggles of each character reveals an interesting dimension to this tension, and I shall briefly explore the main characters below to extrapolate my point.

Yuuta Segawa

Yuuta's struggles are familiar to most Anime/Manga lovers; his struggles are, for lack of a better term, 'Shonen issues'. Almost stereotypically, Yuuta's main focus at college is to have exciting experiences and to find the love of his life during this time. He is also constantly uncertain on where his future will lead him and his own lack of direction and aspirations is a constant worry at the back of his head.

With the death of his sister and brother-in-law, Yuuta's worries become sidelined and his primary concern lies with supporting his new family arrangement. However, his 'Shonen issues' never truly fade away. At college, he meets a beautiful but strange girl (Raika Oda) who occasionally acts as the surrogate mother to his nieces. While he continues to lack a clear direction, he is pushed to juggle his college studies with his part time jobs.

Yuuta's struggles is an allegory towards his becoming of a 'man,' who is defined in the Japanese mainstream culture as someone who takes up responsibilities for his family without complaint. He is also coming to terms with his own sexuality as he fumbles around Raika, while remaining oblivious to Sora's feelings for him. Finally, he is also learning the complicated rules of having 'delicacy' such as not going to the bathroom after a girl has just used it and being more aware of feminine sensitivities.

Thus, the development of his college dorm and his stoic lifestyle must be appreciated from the perspective of his growing up and becoming comfortable (and well tuned) to these concerns. And I think the brilliance of this series is in exploring this dimension of Yuuta's coming of age without making explicit reference to it. For instance, Hina was upset with having to perform on stage because, unlike other children, her parents were not going to attend the performance. To make Hina feel better about this matter, Yuuta and Sora dressed up in Yuri and her husband's clothes, which cheered Hina up. In doing so, the Anime presents to us a Yuuta who is viewed, through the eyes of Hina, as being similar to Hina's father, i.e, a grown man.

Sora Takanashi

Sora Takanashi is a bashful teenager who has a crush on Yuuta Segawa. She is, what Anime lovers would describe as, a Tsundere. Her Tsundere-ness comes from her uncertainty regarding the nature of her feelings towards Yuuta, as well as, towards other boys in general. This is presented very subtly (and in many instances, as fan service) with Sora demanding that some barriers are placed between the girls and Yuuta, and yet, she finds herself on his futon every morning. Similarly, her constant comparison of her own breasts with those of Raika's explore the frustrations she feels over her budding sexuality.

Sora's character development follows the path of her becoming a woman. Like Yuuta, she is seen to be constantly fumbling in the beginning over cooking and washing. As such, when she had finally mastered omelets, her culinary skills were a reflection of her growth as a woman, as well as, her increasing ability to express her feelings. There is also a 'feminist' dimension to Sora's growing up. This is reflected in how she decided to give up on choir as it was difficult to juggle so many things at home. However, she was convinced by Raika to do otherwise, as it is important for Sora to continue to pursue her own dreams. This is an important episode as it reflects upon the quiet sacrifices that Japan women often make growing up. In showing that Sora, despite difficulties, continue to pursue her singing, the Anime hints towards the Feminist concerns and present to us the idea that a woman should never forgo her own individuality and aspirations.

Miu Takanashi

Miu Takanashi is an outgoing pre-teen who is in many aspects much more emotionally mature than Sora (and Yuuta) is. Her maturity is a constant reminder to the audience that age is not a good gauge of maturity. Miu, for instance, constantly motivates Sora to express her feelings for Yuuta, being cognizant both of Sora's crush, as well as, Yuuta's lack of comprehension of it. Miu is also seen to be very close to Hina and constantly takes care of her daily needs. She is, in my opinion, much more of a surrogate mother to Hina than Sora is. Moreover, Miu is somewhat a celebrity in her class and her greatest struggle was to deal with the sympathy of her peers over what has happened at home.

As a fan of Junior idols such as Morning Musume, I find that Miu's maturity is a reflection of a growing segment of pre-teens who are cast into the spotlight due to their popularity. Miu, therefore, has to deal with Sako's ambiguous idol-worship of her, and his constant references to her as an 'Angel'. Her maturity and her struggles over her public image presents an interesting dimension to the coming of age genre, and serves as a platform for the audience to think about how junior idols in Japan are growing up. In the Manga, the author presents Miu's maturity as being harnessed as a form of protection towards bullies who make fun of her 'non-Japanese' looks (her mother is Caucasian), rather than rooted in emotional maturity.

I find the exploration of Miu's sexuality to be extremely interesting in the episode where she 'dates' playboy Nimura. While one may argue that it is not a real 'date', I think the connotations towards romance and sex forces the audience to think about how Japanese society understands pre-teens. Jun ai, as a form of Moe, is often used as a term by Junior Idol Otakus such as Sako to explain their love for Miu. Jun ai meaning pure love is often viewed as a love that is untainted by the 'dirty-ness' of physical and sexual intimacy. Thus, it is this 'pureness' of the Junior Idol that is prized. However, in being popular, Junior Idols such as Miu, often meet 'playboy' types such as Nimura. Thus, the underlying sexual tension between Miu and Nimura is quite a disconcerting one that pushes the audience to consider the problems pertaining to the realm of Junior Idols.

Hina Takanashi

For most of the series, Hina has little character development and serves as an allegory that depict the innocence (in terms of being sheltered from the world) of the characters. Hina's extreme cuteness and lovability often helps the Segawa-Takanashi family with convincing others to aid them in their plight. As a literary device, Hina's role is crucial in preventing us from feeling sympathy for the characters. This is important as sympathy would depict a kind of helplessness of the characters, which goes against the grain of their constant uphill battle in their lives. Instead, Hina allows us to understand that people help the Segawa-Takanashi family out of love for Hina. Hina, for instance, reminds them to hold fast to their hope and dreams as adolescents. In the episode with their neighbor, Kurumi, who is an aspiring voice actress for Hina's favourite series Luna Luna seven; Hina's love for all the characters (including the villain that Kurumi was voice acting for) gives Kurumi hope to continue her pursuit.

Hina's innocence is therefore the crux of the series and it is the preservation of this innocence while all the characters grow up anchors the theme of the story.

Conclusion

I think that we shouldn't be too quick to label this series as just another mainstream Anime series. There are, in my opinion, very valuable themes that are explored in this story with subtle plot cues towards the exploration of the coming of age genre.

Stories are born from the combination of ideas. Some of the most memorable stories arise from unlikely combinations. Like cooking, the key to success lies in how the ingredients are mixed together, and which flavours are allowed to bubble to the surface.

Listen to me, Girls, I'm your Father is built on a concept that drips with dramatic potential. Yuuta is a 20-year-old college student. When his older sister is involved in a plane crash, he decides to raise her three daughters to prevent them being split up in different homes. What follows are Yuuta's struggles to earn enough money to feed four mouths, while juggling college and his new responsibilities as a single parent. When the show focuses on these elements, it's an engaging watch.

Unfortunately, the time spent on those elements is a small fraction of the series' run-time. You see, this show has another ingredient in the mix, one with a flavour pungent enough to drown out almost all else. It's a moe fantasy. Yuuta is a respectable character, responsible and mature. Not so the show's director, whose roving eye lingers on the underage girls in varying states of undress. You'll soon wonder if the show was under contractual obligation to have a bath scene every episode, and the girls' endless attempts to snuggle up in bed with their uncle leave a sour after-taste.

The moe factor spreads, infecting every aspect of the show. The girls spend approximately two minutes being distaught over losing their parents. After that, their main concern is whether their clothes are being washed in the same load as Yuuta's underwear. Some attention is paid to the difficulties they have commuting to school, but these scenes are invariably derailed by dream sequences where one of the girls fantasises about marrying her surrogate father. In almost every episode, moe clashes against drama, and I'm sad to report that drama is soundly defeated most of the time. The fact that the show's ill-advised attempts at comic relief come at the expense of a closet paedophile character reek of being disingenuous, considering how much time it spends pandering to exactly that kind of viewer.

There are no hard rules on what story elements should be combined, but there's no denying that this show's Frankenstein experiment of a recipe goes together like lamb chops and custard. What makes it so frustrating is that it isn't an innately bad show. Had it treated all of its characters with respect, it had the potential to be a memorable piece of drama. Had it removed the hard-edged concept of bereavement, it could have been a cute slice-of-life tale. Sadly, what we have instead is a show that orphans three likeable girls, and then encourages us to perv at them in their underwear.